Bond fob electric conductors



Pate-nted July l9, 1898f s. w. .HUFF. BOND FOB ELEC TRIC-CONDUGTORS, (Application filed Aug. 29, 1898.) (No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 5 a n U I H 1.] II a. I

. U I I. Q N e I i I 5 Wastes (,1

Patented July l9, I898. S. W. HUFF.

BOND FOR ELECTRIC CUNDUCTORS.

(Apph t nfll dAug 29 1896) 3 Sheets-8heet 2.

(No Model.)

No. 607,746. Patented July 19, I898.

S. W. HUFF.

BOND FOR ELECTRIC CONDUCTURS (Application filed Aug. 29, 1896.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

m "ohms Parks co. PHOTOJJTH iiwrrsn STATES Parana @rrrcn.

SLAUGHTER \V. IIUFF, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JESSE HILLES, OF SAME PLACE.

BOND FOR ELECTRIC CONDUCTOR S.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 607,746, dated July 19, 1898. Application filed August 29,1896. Serial No. 604,304. (No model.)

T at whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, SLAUGHTER W. HUFF, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Bonding Electric Conductors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the construction of bonds and to the manner of attaching them.

In constructing the bonds I aim to make an article which is cheap, efficient in service, and durable and to make an electrical connection between the parts to be connected which will be of lasting character and minimum resistance and which is not only applicable for the use of an integral part of an ordinary bond, but which may be employed to advantage as a means for connecting, electrically, any two adjacent parts in making electrical bonds.

My invention consists in making a bond, together with its means of electrical union with the rail or other part, entirely of an illtegral piece of flat (preferably sheet) metal, such bond,when thus made,comprising a body portion which may be bent to impart elasticity to it and make it yielding in use and tubular attaching lugs projecting transversely to the ends of the bond-that is to say, with their axes transverse to the length of the bondand which lugs are formed by bending the fiat metal around a suitable mandrel, offsets or lateral extensions being left on the body portion in cutting out the blank from which to form this tubular attachinglug. Generally speaking, the section of metal at the connection between the body portion and its integral tubular attaching-lug is about equal to the transverse section of the main body portion in order to preserve the full conductivity and avoid choking at this point, while the surface of the tubular attaching-lug is sufficiently increased where it comes in confact with the steel or iron of the rail or other part to be connected, so as to compensate for the reduced conductivity of the metal and to amply distribute current up to the full capacity of the bond.

The blank from which the bond is formed is provided on its ends with lateral extensions running parallel to the length of the body portion and severed from, said body portion for a part of the length of said eXten- I sions.

In putting the bond in place I employ an anvil in which are seated thimbles carrying upsetting-pins which are adapted to support the bonds and upset the ends of the rivets when the latter are driven in, the anvil being held in place by a clamp or other suitable means. Bonds are attached to the under sides of the feet of the rails, and in order to drill the holes uniformly to receive them I employ drilling-blocks with steel-lined openings to direct the drills and with laterallyprojecting dowels which enter the bolt-holes in the abutting ends'of the rails, and thus fix the location of the block and j insure the drilling to take placenniformly at all joints.

My invention will be understood in detail upon reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figures 1 1 2, 3, 4, and 5 represent, respectively, sheets marked for cutting out blanks, a blank partially struck up, a completed bond, a modified form of blank, and modified plans for marking sheet metal in cutting out blanks. Figs. 6 to 14C illustrate the mode of bonding abutting ends of rails or analogous parts to be connected, Figs. 6, 7, and 8 being a plan, an end view, and a side view of the drilling-blocks, Figs. 9 and 10 be ing an end view and a side View of the holding-tool, Figs. 11 and 12 showing the holdingthimble and the upsetting-pin, and Figs. 13, 14, and 15 illustrating two forms of rivets and the manner in which they are upset by the pin. Figs. 16 to 18 represent an end view, a side view, and a bottom View of two abutting rails with the bonding complete.

Referring-to the drawings and to Figs. 1 to 5, one form of the bond may be conveniently made from a strip a of sheet metal, out upon the lines I) and 0, so asto form a body portion 1 and integral lug-forming offsets 2. Thissame shape of blank'may be formed without waste, as shown in Fig. 1, or the blank may be cut so that the offsets assume the shape shown at 2 in Fig. 4, or the sheet may be cut as shown in Fig. 5, being wide enough to form. two outer series of body portions, an intermediate series of body portions which overlap or break joints with those of the outer series, and two interposed rows of lug-forming parts severed by the cuts 6, c, and d and left integrally joined to the adjacent ends of the body portions. In either method of cutting out there is little waste, and in the method shown by Fig. 5 there is absolutely no waste of material. The blanks when formed are struck up into the form shown in Fig. 2 and afterward finished by bending until they assume the form shown by Fig. 3.

It is desirable that the bending of the body portion be sufficient to prevent producing torsional effects on the attaching-lugs 3 when the body portion bends in use.

In applying the bonds to the rails 4 drilling-blocks 5, having perforations 6 with steel linings 7, are applied to the sides of the rails and held in place by dowels 8. (Shown by dotted lines in the bolt-holes in the ends of the rails.) The holes 6 are at the proper distance apart to cause the drills to bore at suitable points to receive the lugs on the bonds,

and such holes are also at the proper inclination to bore the holes perpendicular to the slanting face of the foot of the rail and to thereby make a riveted joint easily made without interference with the head of the rail.

I then takea thimble 9, constructed to fit beneath the attaching-lug 'and also the curved end of the bond, introduce an upsetting-pin 10 into the thimbles, and then insert the thimbles and pins in the sockets 11 in an anvil 11 and support upon the thimbles a pair of bonds, as shown in Fig. 9, with their attaching-lugs projecting into the bores from beneath the rail. I then drive in a rivet 14 with or without a conical cavity 14. This rivet is of sufficient size to force the metal of the attaching-lug firmly against the bore of the rail, and as it is driven in the lower end is upset by contact with the pin 10. The lug and rivet are hammered until left flush upon the upper side of the foot of the rail in order that they may offer no obstruction to the fishplate.

The position of the bond in place is shown in Figs. 16,.17, and 18, and it will be seen that they occupy a position entirely out of the way and safe from vandalism, being buried beneath the rail in the ballast of the road.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A bond for making electrical connections, comprising a sheet-metal body portion bent or curved to lend resiliency to the structure, and having its end bent to form an integral tubular attaching-lug for insertion into the object to be connected, the axis of which lug is transverse to the plane embracing the curved body, whereby the latter lies close to the object, as explained.

2. A bond for making electrical connections formed of flat metal and comprising a body portion and an integral external extension bent about an axis transverse to the body portion into a tubular attaching-lug projecting laterally from the flat body portion, as explained.

3. In a bond for making electrical connections, the combination of the base-flange of the rail to be connected, having an opening, the tubular attaching-lug inserted in said opening from beneath, the rivet driven into said lug to permanently expand it into contact with the wall of the opening, left flush on the upper side, and upset on the lower side to expand it, and the fish-plate covering the bond-joint above as explained.

at. The herein-described blank for a bond for making electrical connections eomprisiu g the flat ribbon or strip of metal having at 85 each end, a lateral extension parallel with the length of the bond and severed from the body of the bond for a portion of the length of the extension, and in dimensions adapted for bending into tubular shape to form lugs projecting axially beyond the body portion, as explained.

SLAUGHTER W. I-IUFF. WVitnesses:

R. STANLEY CARSWELL, J 0s. MULLEN, J r. 

